從英國到里約：夏季奧運來了
2016年夏季奧林匹克運動會，正式名稱為第31屆夏季奧林匹克運動會（Games of the XXXI Olympiad），又稱里約奧運，8月5日至21日將在巴西城市里約熱內盧登場。上屆奧運2012年由倫敦主辦，美國以46面金牌稱霸獎牌榜，中國大陸和英國以38面和29面分居第二和第三名。
中譯／劉文瑜 （中央社編譯）
撰文及考題設計／British Council 英協教育中心 Melissa Henry
The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad and commonly known as Rio 2016, will be held in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro from the 5th to the 21st of August, 2016. The Olympics were previously held in London in 2012, when the USA took home the most gold medals (46), followed by China (38) and Great Britain (29).
2016年夏季奧林匹克運動會，正式名稱為第31屆夏季奧林匹克運動會（Games of the XXXI Olympiad），又稱里約奧運，8月5日至21日將在巴西城市里約熱內盧登場。上屆奧運2012年由倫敦主辦，美國以46面金牌稱霸獎牌榜，中國大陸和英國以38面和29面分居第二和第三名。
Most cities volunteer to host the Olympics because of the anticipated economic gains that the Games are said to bring. The main industry that benefits from expected economic gains is the con¬struction industry as cities are required to build massive facilities and improve infrastructures.
For Great Britain, some reports quoted £15 billion spending on the Games and boasted a £9.9 billion trade and investment boost one year after, which helped combat the global recession during that time.
有鑑於各界對其帶來的經濟效益抱持高度期待，大多數城市自願舉辦奧運。由於主辦城市必須興築大量設施及改善基礎建設，建築業成了主要受惠產業。以英國為例，若干報導指倫敦當時斥資150億英鎊（約新台幣6,445億元）主辦奧運，後續帶動價值99億英鎊（約新台幣4,255億元）的貿易與投資增長，有助英國在那段時期對抗全球經濟衰退。
Furthermore, in 2012, the Olympics employed thousands of workers, with reports reducing the London unemployment rate by 1.2%. It is worth to note, however, that the reports published were commissioned by the government and it is almost impossible to know whether the gains are from the Olympics or other investments. Nevertheless, Rio is hoping for a similar outcome, and as August comes nearer, all eyes are cast on Rio.
此外，2012年奧運僱用數以千計員工，據報使倫敦失業率下降1.2%。然而，相關報告是由政府委託製作，且幾乎不可能得知哪些成長是源自於奧運或其他投資。儘管如此，里約奧運仍期盼帶來類似成果，隨著8月腳步愈來愈近，各界都把焦點放在里約熱內盧。
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The theme for this year's Olympics is 'Live your Passion'. This fits well as Rio is a city known for its music festivities; such as Carnival, samba, and bossa nova; the natural beauties of its mountains and beaches; and 'Christ the Redeemer', a 30-meter statue of Jesus Christ at the peak of Corcovado Mountain. The city has been busy transforming itself for the Olympics, with new infrastructures, renovations, clean-up projects, and advanced tech¬nologies for the Games itself, such as video reviews for volleyball, GPS for canoeing, and underwater digital lap counters for swimming.
今年奧運主題為「活出你的熱情」（Live your passion），非常符合這座城市的形象。里約熱內盧是一個以嘉年華、森巴舞曲和巴薩諾瓦等音樂節，山脈海灘美景和以科科瓦多山（俗稱耶穌山） 山頭上所聳立的30公尺高救世主基督像（Christ the Redeemer）為地標聞名的都市。里約熱內盧正忙著為奧運作準備，興建新的基礎建設和展開翻新、清潔等作業，並設置了包括排球項目所需的影片回顧、獨木舟的全球衛星定位系統（GPS）和游泳項目的水下數位折返計數器等先進科技設備。
Yet, Rio has been plagued by a number of issues. First, there was the Zika virus, which has caused a global concern over microcephaly and caused some competitors to drop out of the Olympics. Then, Brazil's president, Dilma Rouseff, was removed from office due to corruption allegations of breaking budget laws. More recently, scientists have found drug-resistant bacteria in the waters that border bay where athletes will be competing, which were already at a high pollution level. Lastly, the police have now publicized that they will be unable to protect the tourists and athletes, which does not comfort visitors as Rio already has a known reputation for the murder capital of the world. As a response to these concerns, a federal bailout has been granted to help with the debts and expenses.
然而，里約奧運依舊面臨重重考驗。首先是導致新生兒出現小頭畸形症的茲卡病毒引發全球憂慮，若干選手因此宣布退出奧運；總統羅賽芙（Dilma Rouseff）因違反預算法而面臨貪汙指控遭到停職；科學家最近更在即將舉行奧運賽事的海域，發現具有抗藥性的超級細菌，這些海域已達高度汙染的程度。最後，就連警方也公開表示， 他們保護不了觀光客和選手，里約熱內盧背負著全球「謀殺之都」的惡名，並不適合遊客前往。對於上述阻礙，聯邦政府則以斥資紓困，協助償付債務和開支，作為因應之道。
Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, has asked the world to not compare Rio with 'developed world standards', but to compare Rio to Rio, so that people can focus on the positive outcomes instead of the negativity that has stormed over Rio. Although he has set a difficult task for most to do, it is safe to say that most people are looking forward to a month of inspiring competition and hoping that Rio will benefit from the Olympics both short and long-term.
里約熱內盧市長派西（Eduardo Paes）希望全球不要用「已開發國家標準」來衡量這座城市，而是讓里約跟自己比較，人們便能將焦點放在正面的結果，而非聚焦在圍繞里約的一連串負面新聞。儘管他為多數人設下這道艱難的任務，可以肯定的是，大多數人正在期待這場為期一個月的運動盛事，也希望無論是短期或長期，里約熱內盧都能受惠於主辦這場奧運。(完)
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